What is Functional Medicine and Can
It Make You Healthier & Feel Better?

Have You Ever Heard of a
Functional Medicine Doctor “Practitioner”?

Millions of People are Turning to This Form of Holistic Healing, Wonder Why?

If you suffer from chronic illness or a health problem, chances are you’ve been to a doctor who immediately prescribed one or more synthetic medications to help ease your symptoms.

Hopefully, the pills, injections or creams improved your symptoms. But, modern medicine doesn’t always address the root cause and doesn’t always work like you want it. How long will you have to take them and what happens once you stop? What about long-term side effects?

Did you know that 60% of older Americans may be taking drugs they don’t need? Adverse drug reactions account for one-third of adverse events at hospitals. 

Prescription medication sales continue to increase in volume with 4.45 billion prescriptions being written in 2016 alone, with a steady increase every year since. That’s not to say all prescriptions are bad. A lot of science and testing goes into each new drug. There are over 6,600 drugs on the market to cover only 12 organ systems in the body.

But are all these pills and potions curing people? Are they helping everyone? The concern people have for taking strong medications has led to alternative remedies for healing the body that we refer to as alternative or functional medicine.

What is Functional Medicine?

This kind of healing combines modern technology with alternative therapies to identify and treat the underlying cause of a problem, improve symptoms, and so much more. It concentrates on the entire person, instead of an isolated set of symptoms.

“Functional Medicine is a whole body approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease, health problems, and poor health.”

Functional medicine doctors (practitioners) study the individual’s internal and external factors such as lifestyle, diet, vitamin, minerals, genetic makeup, biochemical imbalances and other factors. The client and practitioner work in harmony to determine the best course of action for fast healing.

The first step in treatment is to find the right functional practitioner.

A Naturopath Will Listen To You

A functional medicine doctor has several names. People sometimes refer to them as a naturopath, alternative medicine doctor, natural medicine practitioner, holistic medicine doctor, naturopathy practitioner, naturopathic physician, natural healing practitioner or natural doctor.

Naturopaths with an ND after their name have completed a rigorous training in natural holistic healing or what is now termed functional medicine.

A naturopath or functional medicine doctor will study your health history and give you a thorough examination before suggesting a course of action to getting better.

Using a range of alternative and conventional methods, a Naturopath can often successfully pin-point problems in the body, and give the client specific therapies and changes in the clients’s lifestyle that will lead to improved physical and mental health.

For people who want a healthier alternative to months or a lifetime of prescriptions, a naturopath is the right choice.

It’s Different from Conventional Medicine

Western medicine, especially in the U.S., tends to attack the symptoms rather than using a holistic method to find the underlying causes of the disease. Conventional Medical practitioners tend to throw pills at the problem for immediate relief instead of a long-term solution.

Let’s use the disease gout as an example. Conventional medicine will tell you to drink lots of water, avoid alcohol and take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Ibuprofen as a pain reliever and to reduce swelling.  Unfortunately, NSAIDs can cause serious long-term side effects such as gastrointestinal damage, ulcers, kidney failure and internal bleeding. Should it happen, the doctor will have more pills to fight those symptoms and round and round you go.

A functional medicine approach would be to look at all the ways you adversely affect your body from the outside in. Start by eliminating all the foods containing purines that cause gout such as red meat, mussels, alcohol, especially beer, and other foods.

To help the body heal, a naturopathic doctor will suggest eating cherries, blueberries, and other dark red berries that contain anthocyanidins. Then they would recommend supplements such as methylated folic acid, a natural anti-inflammatory and Quercetin, a bioflavonoid. The naturopath will help you choose the right dietary, supplement and lifestyle path toward healing, avoiding harmful and expensive drugs.

Not treating the underlying causes can create more chronic conditions. As a result, “Of total healthcare costs in the United States, more than 86% is due to chronic conditions.”

Healing Your Whole Body, Not Only the Symptoms

Your body is a highly complex organism with all systems interconnected. If one organ becomes weak, all systems suffer.

Functional medicine is more health and client-oriented while conventional medicine is doctor and disease-oriented. It’s not uncommon to find NDs spending an hour or more with each client uncovering every issue they are experiencing. Time with a client is a luxury conventional doctors can’t afford. When was the last time you spent longer than 15 minutes with a doctor?

What to Expect During Your First Visit

Your first consultation is the most critical. You’ll be asked to fill out a comprehensive questionnaire about your health history. If possible, bring your medical records, list of supplements, any medications, and any lab test results with you.

The naturopath will take as much time as necessary to listen to you and understand your health issues and make a comprehensive holistic health assessment. During this time, you’ll have a complete holistic physical examination to determine imbalances in your body.

Some of the health factors we look for include:

• Vitamin/Mineral Evaluation
• Physical activity
• Metabolism Assessment
• Exposure to Toxins
• Physical & Emotional Traumas
• Biological & Genetic Influences
• Environmental Assessment
• Digestion and Nutrient Absorption
• Hormone & Gland Imbalances
• Food Sensivities/Allergies
• Immune System Function
• Inflammatory Responses

They will also investigate your mind-body connection, the psychological, spiritual, and social factors that can make a difference to your health.

Once they have their information, you’ll work with the doctor to create an individualized healing plan. They’ll show you what you need to know to improve your health naturally, holistically and safely. With no side-effects. 

Can Functional Medicine Improve Your Health?

Functional medicine can help everyone, young or old.  It helps others suffering from chronic illnesses to stop it and turn the tide in recovery. It allows everyday people to keep in peak shape and performance. 

Each person is unique in health, mind, and body. Practitioners  work with each person as an individual, creating unique healing protocols instead of universal drug-based treatments. It combines the best of laboratory testing and technology with a focus on diet, supplements, lifestyle and nutrition.

Many Ailments Respond to Naturopathic Remedies

Some of the remedies include stress-management, detoxification, therapeutic foods and supplements, to name a few. These healing remedies help reduce symptoms and people suffering from many health problems including:

• Stress, anxiety, and depression
• Inflammatory and auto-immune conditions like arthritis (rheumatoid and osteoarthritis), Sjögren’s syndrome, lupus, Hashimoto’s, Graves disease, Celiac, and others
• Digestive tract issues -IBS, colitis, Crohn’s, acid reflux, bloating, pain, GERD, and celiac disease
• Blood sugar problems, diabeties and more 
• Thyroid and adrenal gland problems, insomnia, or fatigue
• Chronic or worsening symptoms of one or more vital organs
• Rapid weight gain or loss
• Child-related health problems like ADD, ADHD, autism, allergies and more

Even people with cancer-related issues or who are enduring chemotherapy sessions can reduce their suffering with naturopathic remedies.

Why is Robert Galarowicz ND the Best Naturopath & Functional Practitioner for You?

Robert Galarowicz ND has been practicing full time as a naturopathic doctor for over twelve years helping people with chronic health issues from the N.Y. and N.J. region.

At the age of 24, Robert survived a life-saving kidney transplant. He knew it would take more than prescription pills to keep him healthy for a long life. “It was by far the WORST and MOST HORRIBLE period of my life!” he admitted.

For organ transplants, doctors prescribe immunosuppressants for life. These are needed but come with side effects like and a higher risk of:

• Bone thinning (osteoporosis) and bone damage (osteonecrosis)
• Diabetes, joint pain, weight gain.
• Excessive hair growth or hair loss.
• High blood pressure.
• High cholesterol.
• Increased risk of cancer, particularly skin cancer and lymphoma.
• Infections.

…But, Robert felt there was a better way to improve and maintain his health.

That’s when he discovered the safety and benefits of Functional Medicine. Knowing that transplanted kidneys only last 7 to 11 years on average, he changed his lifestyle, learned everything he could about nutrition, holistic and natural medicine. He became a naturopathic doctor to help himself and others discover how to regain their health with minimal prescriptions.

And, he’s helped thousands of people.

Success Stories from Some of Robert’s Clients

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Robert Galarowicz ND has helped thousands of clients with every kind of chronic illness imaginable, with great success.

If you have a severe or chronic health issue, you owe it to yourself to visit Robert Galarowicz, Naturopath & Nutritionist for an initial consultation. You’ll be amazed what a few changes in diet, taking some supplements and environment can have on your long-term health and comfort.

He believes, like most pioneers in this field, “Most Functional medicine practitioners tend to use too many overpriced and not needed testing to be done. A person who has studied this for their entire career can pinpoint only the most important tests, if any, that are needed.” And that’s how he works.

Everything you reveal about your health history holds vital clues to your well-being.

50% of adults have at least one chronic health condition, and your body gives you plenty of warning that something is wrong. Let Robert and his team find out what your body is trying to tell you.

They don’t shove you through the examination process like a typical doctor’s office on a quota. They take the time to listen.

How To Get Started

Here are four ways you can book an appointment right now or get more information. Be sure to visit our home page to learn more, and visit our Facebook.

1. Call (201) 618-3534
2. Send an email to robertgalarowicz@gmail.com
3. Use the form on the CONTACT PAGE.
4. Click here for Facebook